In-line externally adjustable flow control and needle valve assembly

ABSTRACT

A COMPACT IN-LINE FLOW-CONTROL VALVE AND NEEDLE VALVE ASSEMBLY IS DISCLOSED WHEREIN IN AN EXTERNALLY ADJUSTABLE NEEDLE VALVE ELEMENT IS ADJUSTABLE TO PERMIT A PREDETERMINED RESTRICTED FLOW IN BOTH DIRECTIONS OR MAY INCLUDE A SPRING-LOADED BASS ASSEMBLY BY WHICH FLOW IS RESTRICTED IN ONE DIRECTION WITH FREE-FLOW THRU BALL ASSEMBLY WHEN FLOW IS REVERSED.

Sept. 20, 1971 R. M. FISHER 3,605,808

IN-LINE EXTERNALLY ADJUSTABLE FLOW CONTROL AND NEEDLE VALVE ASSEMBLY meaJune 2s. 1969 lNVliN'lUR United States Patent O 3,605,808 IN-LINEEXTERNALLY ADJUSTABLE FLOW CON- TROL AND NEEDLE VALVE ASSEMBLY Robert M.Fisher, 20966 Los Flores Mesa Drive, Malibu, Calif. 90265 Filed June 23,1969, Ser. No. 835,588 Int. Cl. F16k 15/18 U.S. Cl. 137--599.2 2 ClaimsABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A compact in-line flow-control valve andneedle valve assembly is disclosed wherein an externally adjustableneedle valve element is adjustable to permit a predetermined restrictedow in both directions or may include a spring-loaded ball assembly bywhich flow is restricted in one direction with free-ow thru ballassembly when ow is reversed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention disclosed herein is animprovement over my valve disclosed in co-pending application Ser. No.673,355 filed Oct. 6, 1967, now Pat. No. 3,527,441 and entitled ExternalValve Adjustment Means. In the above-identified application the valvedisclosed included an adjustable external barrel engaged with a partialscrew with at, parallel sides which ride in diametrally opposed guidegrooves in the valve body linearly as the barrel is rotated. A seatingelement is pushed along by the partial screw against a resilientpressure to adjust the OW aperture.

THE PRESENT INVENTION In the present invention an outer sleeve engagesinlet and outlet adaptor nipples. One of the nipples includes a valveseat and internal threads which engage a needle valve body; the othernipple in the opposite end of the valve assembly from the rst nippleprovides an abutment for a needle valve unit. The needle valve unit ismoved longitudinally within the sleeve in a hexagonal broached bore bythe rotation of the valve body by the sleeve. The valve element has anexternal hexagonal coniiguration mating with the bore in the sleeve overthe rear portion thereof. The forward portion is tapered to seat in thevalve seat at the extreme thereof and threaded further back to beengaged with said threads in the valve body. An internal bore in theneedle valve element provides ow thru path or may have therein aspring-loaded ball so that check valve operation may be achievedtherewith. By the nipples the valve assembly may be inserted in the lineand adjustment can be made while the unit is in the line by rotating theouter sleeve. The adjustment can also be made in hand with the valveassembly olf the line, and thereafter installed in the line in whichiiow control is desired.

The invention is described in the speciiication which follows and isillustrated in the accompanying drawings in at least two embodiments.These should not be construed to limit the invention to the illustrativeembodiments since those skilled in the arts pertinent to the inventionwill be able to devise other embodiments in view of the disclosure andthe teachings herein Within the ambit of the claims which are appended.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross-section through a valve assemblyaccording to this invention with restricted ow through a variableorifice;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-section through a valve like that in FIG.l with the oriice closed;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal cross-section as in FIGS. 1

and 2 showing the flow path open to reverse flow freely through thecheck valve components thereof;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal cross-section through a valve assembly showinga needle valve element according to the invention with provisions forrestricted ow in both directions;

FIG. 5 is a lateral cross-section through the valve shown in FIG. 2 at 55 and FIG. 6 is a lateral cross-section through 6--6 of FIG.

In FIG. l a valve according to the invention is shown in longitudinalcross-section. It is also shown in other positions of its operationalcharacteristics in FIGS. 2 and 3. In each of these gures and in thecross-section of FIGS. 5 and 6 the elements identified by referencecharacters in FIG. 1 and repeated in the other figures bear the samereference characters in these other figures.

The valve shown in FIGS. 1-3 and 5 and 6 includes a valve body 10 havinga central bore therethrough at 9 threaded internally 22 to a depthsuicient to permit coupling of the body as a nipple onto a fluid owline, or a gas line. Body 10 is held tightly in a sleeve 12 by aretaining ring 15 and sealed to sleeve 12 by O ring 16. Within body 10 avalve seat 25 is cut in bore 9 and an inner thread 26a, larger indiameter than valve seat 25 is cut in the inner end of valve body 10a. Anipple 11 has a central bore 8 threaded at 23 similarly to that at 22 inbody 10. Nipple 11 is retained in sleeve 12 by retaining ring 15 andsealed by O ring 16.

A check valve body 13 having a tapered nose 24 is inserted in bore 9with nose 24 pointing into valve seat 25. The check valve body isthreaded on the rear portion of its outer diameter as can be seen at 26.The check valve body 13 is machined from hexagonal bar stock so that therear end thereof remains hexagonal in shape to intert hexagonallybroached bore 33 in sleeve 12 so the body 13 may move longitudinally onits hexagon end 5 in sleeve 12 without twisting when sleeve 12 isrotated. Between threads 26 and the tapered nose 24 of body 13 cross'bores are drilled normal to one another as may be more clearly seen inFIG. 6. In the hexagonal end 5 of body 13 a Washer 20 of arcuate shapeto provide flow apertures 27, which may be more clearly seen in FIG. 5,when body 13 is inserted in sleeve 12. There is a central bore 6 in body13 drilled from the hexagonal end 5 thereof. A smaller bore 4 is madefrom the tapered nose end 24. Bores 6 and i4 are in communicationthrough body 13. Within bore 6 a ball 18 is positioned near bore 4. Aspring 19 presses against ball 18 with its remote end abutting washer 20held in bore 6 at a xed location by snap ring 21 at the rear of body 13.The ball 18 is urged againset seat 30 in bore 4 by the resilience ofspring 19 tending to expand between ball 18 and washer 20.

In the direction indicated by arrows 3 fluid or air flow will passthrough inlet bore 8 through ow apertures 27 pass spring 19 around ball18 and out through cross bores 28 and around tapered nose 24 throughbore 9. The tapered nose 24 it should be noted in FIG. 1 is not seatedon seat 25 so that all flow through bore 6 Will be under pressure frombore 8 to bore 9.

Compare this with the arrangement illustrated in FIG. 2 where the nose24 seats on seat 25. While there is flow under pressure into bore 6 frombore 8 there can be no ow from bore 8 towards bore 9.

The difference in position of body 13 as illustrated open in FIG, 1 andclosed against seat in FIG. 2 is accomplished by rotating sleeve 12 sothat it turns body 13 by the mating hexagon end i5 with broached matinghexagon socket 33. Threads 26 on body 13 thread into mating thread 26aon body 10 and nose 24 seats on seat 25. One

full turn of the sleeve 12 produces about .036 inch longitudinalmovement of body 13. This results in approximately .001 inch movementper 10 degrees rotation of sleeve 12.

In FIG. 3 it can be seen that on reverse flow the incoming tluid or gasunder pressure will force ball 18 away from seat 30' in body 13 allowingow from bore 9 through bore 4 around ball 118 through bore 6 and flowapertures 27 to bore 8. This iiow is in addition to any flow throughbores 28.

In FIG. 4 the needle valve arrangement of a valve according to theinvention is shown. The body 13 used without a ball and spring andeliminating bore 4 becomes a needle valve element. The rate of floweither through the path of bores 8 and 9 or 9 and 8 depends upon thenose 24 being separated from seat 25 which is accomplished by rotatingsleeve 12 as previously described. Sleeve 12 is held in place bysetscrew 17 to maintain setting previously made. Sleeve 12 has roundbores at opposite ends to the portion of depth shown at 41 and 42. Theremainder of sleeve 12 is the hexagon bore 33.

I claim:

1. A flow control valve comprising:

a sleeve having a central round bore from opposite ends thereof topredetermined depths Within said sleeve, and a hexagonal bore withinsaid sleeve, centrally in line with said round bores between saidopposite ends, said hexagonal bore being on a common axis with saidround bores;

a valve body disposed in one of said round bores and a nipple beingdisposed in the other of said round bores, said valve body and saidnipple being retained in said sleeve by respective retainer rings andsealed against leakage by O rings, said rings being disposed between theinner surface of said bores and the outer surfaces, respectively, ofsaid body and said nipple;

the end of said valve body being retained within said sleeve beinginternally bored and threaded, the center of said body having a valveseat communicating with said internal bore and having an internal threadat the opposite end thereof for attachment of said flow control valve toan external iluid line;

said nipple being threaded internally for attachment to another ow lineso that iuid may communicate and flow from said first named line to saidsecond ynamed line and vice versa; and

a check valve having an external thread engaged in the thread in saidinternally threaded bore of said valve body, 'having a tapered end to beseatable in said valve seat when said check valve body is moved on saidthreads of said valve body and the end of said check valve body oppositesaid tapered end having a hexagonal coniguration so as to interit thehexagonal bore of said sleeve to be retained therein without twistingand to be rotatable with said sleeve;

a spring-loaded ball within said check valve body being interposedbetween said valve seat and the hexagonal end of said check valve body,said ball being urged forward by the spring load thereof to close off abore in said check valve body at the tapered end thereof, there beingcross bores in said tapered end thereof communicating with the center ofsaid check valve behind said ball to permit flow when said tapered endis not seated into said seat in said valve body;

whereby said sleeve may be rotated and to rotate with it said checkvalve body to move said check valve body towards and away from said seatto permit or prevent flow through said valve in varying degreesdepending on the distance of said check valve tapered end from saidseat. 4

2. A how-control valve comprising:

a sleeve having a hexagonal bore centrally disposed therein and endbores extending outwardly from either side of said hexagonal bore allsaid bores in said sleeve being in-line and in communication with oneanother;

a nipple in one said end bore iixedly held therein;

a valve body in the opposite end bore;

a check valve assembly in said valve body and positioned in said valvebody so as to intert said hexagonal bore, said check valve body having ahexagonal end so as to be slidable in said hexagonal bore;

threaded guide means on said check Ivalve body and on said valve body inengagement with one another so that rotation of one with respect to theother will produce movement of said check valve body with respect tosaid valve body;

closure means Within said check valve body being normally urged to aclosed position therein; and

fluid communication bores in said check valve body to permit ow aboutsaid closure means and through said check valve body when said checkvalve body is open with respect to said valve body, the rate of flowbeing settable by the adjustment of said sleeve to rotate check valvebody within said val-ve body.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 904,134 11/ 1908 Kilbourn 251-3402,813,545 11/1957 Garnik 137-5992 2,999,512 9/ 1961 Barkow 25 1--3 40X3,303,746 2/1967 Schmoeger 137-599.2X

FOREIGN PATENTS 655,024 12/1937 Germany 251-340 ROBERT G. NILSON,Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 251-340

